February 2025 Book Releases: Your Ultimate Guide For This Week’s Must-Reads
February 3rd-9th: The first week features some exciting new stories as a part of the February 2025 book releases.
This week’s line-up features some spicy romances from the author of The Love Hypothesis, paired perfectly with the highly anticipated follow-up to author Peyton Corinne’s Unsteady. These two romances are a must-read, especially for fans of sports romances. For readers who love a touch of magic with their romance, this week brings an exciting selection of fantasy romance. Narratives span intense enemies-to-lovers tropes, the chilling allure of dark fantasies, and the tales of star-crossed lovers, truly a bit of everything for fantasy enthusiasts.
For the more avid readers, we have three captivating historical fiction that explore rich themes of survival, faith, defiance, community, love, and bravery. From being marooned on a desolate island to navigating the complexities of life during wartime to unravelling a decade-long enigma filled with suspense, these compelling stories are inspired by real figures and events.
For readers looking for lighter historical tales infused with elements of romance, we have a remarkable story about two women and their partners during the tumultuous times of World War II and a forbidden love set against the backdrop of the crumbling Roman Empire.
As we conclude the third week of the February 2025 book releases, we have three chilling thrillers exploring social issues and sinister family secrets. These thrillers include unexpected twists and revelations that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and eager to uncover the mysteries.
Romance
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood returns with her latest novel, Deep End, about a competitive diver and an ace swimmer jumping into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance. It is an ideal read for fans of sports, with strong chemistry and spicy romances.
The book’s synopsis;
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…
The highly anticipated follow-up to author Peyton Corinne’s Unsteady, her latest novel Unloved follows hopeless romantic Ro and on-and off-the-ice player Freddy as their feelings for each other grow from strictly friendly to so much more. It is an ideal read for fans of slow burns, romances with emotional depth, and relatable characters.
The book’s synopsis;
Matt “Freddy” Fedderic is all smiles—at least on the surface. On the ice, he’s the star left winger for the Waterfell Wolves with a stellar reputation in bed and a potential future in the NHL. But in the classroom, he’s barely scraping by on a 2.0 GPA, retaking dropped classes and struggling with a rough mix of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. Freddy had plans to enter the NHL draft at eighteen, but then his estranged father added a “graduation” clause to his inheritance, and now, he needs help to pass Biology with a professor who’s already betrayed him before.
Ro Shariff is a hopeless romantic with terrible luck in love—and now, Freddy’s new tutor. She keeps telling herself that she’s very happy with her on again/off again boyfriend, but Ro is desperate for real affection. As her tutoring sessions with Freddy lead to friendship and late-night phone calls, an undeniable heat begins to simmer between them, which they’re both trying desperately to ignore.
Although they are too protective of their newfound friendship to cross that line, Ro can’t stop thinking about how Freddy was her first kiss her freshman year at Waterfell, a spine-tingling moment seared into Ro’s memory that Freddy doesn’t seem to remember, and Freddy is determined to protect Ro from his reputation at all costs. Meanwhile, Ro wants to prove to him that despite what others have led him to believe, he’s worth more than his body. But maybe, just maybe, together they can learn how easily the right person can love every part of you, even your flaws.
Fantasy Romance
Author D.L. Taylor releases her romantic novel, The Beasts We Bury, in her debut. The novel is about an heir to the throne who can summon an army of animals and a thief who plans to manipulate her to pull off a once-in-a-lifetime heist. It is an ideal read for fans of dark fantasy romances full of deceit and betrayal.
The book’s synopsis;
Will he steal her heart… or her chance at the throne?
Daughter and heir to the throne, Mancella Cliff yearns for a life without bloodshed. But as a child, she emerged from the Broken Citadel with the power to summon animals—only after killing them with her bare hands. Her magic is a constant reminder of the horrors her father, the ruler of the realm, has forced upon her to strengthen their power.
Silver is a charming thief struggling to survive in a world torn apart by Mancella’s father’s reign. When a mysterious benefactor recruits him for the heist of a lifetime, a chance to rob the castle, Silver relishes the opportunity for a real future—and revenge. But he’ll have to manipulate Mance and earn her trust to pull it off.
As the deception and carnage mount, Mance must find a way to save her realm without becoming the ruthless monster she’s been bred to be. And when Silver discovers that his actions are fueling the violence that Mance wants to prevent, he’ll have to choose between his ambition and the girl he’s falling for.
Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey, returns to the mystical landscape of Alaska with her latest unforgettable dark fairy tale ‘Black Woods, Blue Sky’. It is an ideal read for fans of magical realism, a loving relationship between a mother and daughter, and the allure of wild life away from society.
The book’s synopsis;
Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is. So she’s a little hungover, sometimes, and she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature.
Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well.
Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains, on the far side of the Wolverine River.
It’s just the three of them in the vast black woods, far from roads, telephones, electricity, and outside contact, but Birdie believes she has come prepared. At first, it’s idyllic and she can picture a happily ever after: Together they catch salmon, pick berries, and climb mountains so tall it’s as if they could touch the bright blue sky. But soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have ever imagined, and that like the Alaska wilderness, a fairy tale can be as dark as it is beautiful.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith returns with her latest novel, The Rose Bargain. This enchanting and captivating fantasy romance is described as The Cruel Prince meets The Selection. It is an ideal read for fans of dark fantasies, quirky characters, and intriguing mysteries.
The book’s synopsis;
Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.
High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.
But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.
Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.
New York Times and indie bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night, Allison Saft, returns with her latest novel Wings of Starlight, a romantasy about a young fairy queen who must form an unlikely alliance or risk an unspeakable danger that will destroy all she holds dear. It is an ideal read for fans of star-crossed romance, imaginative worlds, and the wonder of fairy life.
The book’s synopsis;
It’s been centuries since a warm-season fairy in Pixie Hollow has crossed into the Winter Woods, and while most fear the legends of monsters lurking in the frozen lands, Clarion, can’t help being intrigued by Winter’s stoic beauty. But under the watchful eyes of the current monarch and the court’s seasonal ministers, Clarion has little time to dwell on daydreams while the days to her coronation dwindle away.
That is, until reports of a monster crossing from Winter into Spring make their way to the palace. Clarion sees defeating this threat as an opportunity to prove that she is worthy of her new role. But instead of finding a monster at the edge of Winter, she finds Milori, a young guardian of the Winter Woods. Together, they form an unlikely bond as they race to save their lands.
But as their alliance warms to something more, they will discover there is a reason a warm-season fairy and a winter fairy must not be together. And the cost could be just as deadly as the monsters that prowl the Winter Woods.
Historical Fiction
Author Libba Bray releases her latest novel, Under The Same Stars. It is historical fiction that follows the lives of individuals from World War II, Cold War Germany, to present-day New York City. It is an ideal read for fans of mysteries blended with history and exploring themes of love, resistance, and community.
The book’s synopsis;
It was said that if you write to the Bridegroom’s Oak, the love of your life will answer back. Now, the tree is giving up its secrets at last.
In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom’s Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too—but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.
In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.
In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are in the first weeks of COVID lockdown and hating Zoom school, when an unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Woman With The Blue Star, Pam Jenoff, releases her latest novel, Last Twilight In Paris, which centres around a Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery. It is an ideal read for fans of gripping mysteries, well-written and well-researched piece of historical fiction inspired by true stories exploring themes of survival and sacrifice, and insight into the complex lifes of wartime characters.
The book’s synopsis;
London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.
Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.
Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever.
From the bestselling author of Sam, Allegra Goodman releases her latest novel, Isola, based on the true story of a young woman who sails from France to the New World in 1542 and is marooned on an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is an ideal read for fans of true stories, strong female heroines, and exploring themes of survival, faith, and defiance.
The book’s synopsis;
Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.
Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.
Historical Romance
Award-winning author Suzanne Nelson releases her latest novel, The Librarians of Lisbon. It is a captivating story of two remarkable young women, their bravery, heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war. Based on real historical figures, events, and what happened in Lisbon during the Second World War, the novel is described as Casablanca meets the spy world of Ian Fleming. It is an ideal read for fans of secret aliases, spies, unexpected romances, and the roles of brave women during World War II.
The book’s synopsis;
With World War II raging across Europe, best friends Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan are enlisted by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon—a sparkling city and hotbed of trouble, harboring exiled royalty, hunted refugees, and spies trading double-edged secrets in seductively dark corners. In official capacity, librarians Selene and Bea have been recruited to catalog the vast mountain of information gathered by the Allies, but by night, both women are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network.
Where Selene is confident and brash, Bea is bookish and careful. Selene longs to escape her family’s impossible expectations and embrace her independence, while all Bea wants is to heal from heartbreak and keep impulsive Selene out of trouble. But soon, both librarians are caught up in treacherous games of deception alongside two of Lisbon’s most notorious men—the outcast Portuguese baron, Luca Caldeira, and the lethal double-agent, Gable. As Selene charms her way through lavish ballrooms and fêtes with Luca, Bea is plunged into Gable’s shadowy underworld of informants.
Victory depends upon the joint success of their missions, but when an unexpected betrayal throws a carefully spun web of lies into chaos, everything they’ve sacrificed is put at risk. As Selene and Bea are pushed to their breaking points can their friendship, and their hearts, survive the cost of war?
Author Jenny Williamson releases her latest historical romance novel, Enemy of My Dreams. Set in the last days of the Roman Empire, it tells the story of a desperate princess and brutal Goth warlord who forge a dangerous alliance. The book is ideal for fans of Roman history, forbidden love, and the enemies-to-lovers trope.
The book’s synopsis;
Julia, only daughter of the emperor of Rome, lives a life of excess and freedom. Wine, philosophy and scandal—she revels in hedonism. But when her father dies and her teenage brother takes the throne, he will stop at nothing to seize control of both the empire and his wayward sister. And now Alaric of the Visigoths, a ferocious warrior who has battled Rome for years, has come to the capital to bargain for his homeland.
When Julia rebels against the marriage her brother has ordered her to accept, he responds by publicly punishing her lover in the Colosseum. Realizing how perilous her position is, Julia impulsively turns to Alaric—the empire’s sworn enemy, and the one man who can make Rome tremble—and engineers her own kidnapping. Julia, the Roman princess, forges an uneasy alliance with Alaric, the brutal warrior king, in an edgy, sexy cat-and-mouse game of attraction, defiance and lust.
Mystery/ Thriller
Bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods, Kate Alice Marshall, releases her gripping novel A Killing Cold about a woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat who realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before. Ideal read for fans of thrillers full of lies, secrets, tension and shocking twists.
The book’s synopsis;
A whirlwind romance.
When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family—she fell in love in an instant. Six months later, he’s brought her to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.
Stay away from Connor Dalton.
Theo has tried to ignore the threatening messages on her phone, but she can’t ignore the footprints in the snow outside the cabin window or the strange sense of familiarity she has about this place. Then, in a disused cabin, Theo finds something impossible: a photo of herself as a child. A photo taken at Idlewood.
I’ve been here before.
Theo has almost no recollection of her earliest years, but now she begins to piece together the fragments of her memories. Someone here has a shocking secret that they will do anything to keep hidden, and Theo is in terrible danger. Because the Daltons do not lose, and discovering what happened at Idlewood may cost Theo everything.
In her debut work, author Channelle Desamours releases her YA mystery novel Needy Little Things. It is about a Black teen with premonition-like powers who must solve her friend’s disappearance before she finds herself in the same danger. It is an ideal read for fans of magical realism, suspense, and mystery, as well as exploration of social issues, family struggles, and navigating friendships.
The book’s synopsis;
Sariyah Lee Bryant can hear what people need—tangible things, like a pencil, a hair tie, a phone charger—an ability only her family and her best friend, Malcolm, know the truth about. But when she fulfills a need for her friend Deja who vanishes shortly after, Sariyah is left wondering if her ability is more curse than gift. This isn’t the first time one of her friends has landed on the missing persons list, and she’s determined not to let her become yet another forgotten Black girl.
Not trusting the police and media to do enough on their own, Sariyah and her friends work together to figure out what led to Deja’s disappearance. But when Sariyah’s mother loses her job and her little brother faces complications with his sickle cell disease, managing her time, money, and emotions seems impossible. Desperate, Sariyah decides to hustle her need-sensing ability for cash—a choice that may not only lead her to Deja, but put her in the same danger Deja found herself in.
Author Joshua Moehling returns with his third instalment in the detective Ben Packard series with his latest novel A Long Time Gone. It is ideal read for fans of slow-burn mysteries, with atmospheric sense of dread, tension, twists and revelations.
The book’s synopsis;
Ben Packard was just a boy when his older brother disappeared. Ben watched him walk out the back door of their grandparents’ house and into the cold night.
His brother was never seen again.
Decades later, Deputy Packard finds himself with too much time on his hands. A shooting has him on leave and under investigation, and for the first time in years, new information about his brother has surfaced that may lead them to the location of a body.
The midwinter ground is frozen solid. Worse, Packard is cut off from department resources. As he strikes out to finally uncover the truth behind his brother’s disappearance, he stumbles on a separate, suspicious death. A tenuous connection exists between the two cases, and as Packard starts to dig, he meets fierce resistance from friends and foes alike who want him to stand down.
The winter is long and cold. By the end of it, Packard will risk everything to catch a killer and reveal the shocking truth about his brother.
Conclusion
February brings various exciting new stories featuring 14 new book releases. From sports romance, enemies-to-lovers tropes, dark fantasies, wartime fiction inspired by real figures and events, to intriguing mysteries full of secrets, lies, and revelations, this week of February 2025 book releases is ideal for fans of historical fiction, mysteries and especially fantasy romance.
Stay tuned, as I will be posting my next article next week to bring you the latest new book releases for the second week of February’s monthly line-up. Additionally, if you are interested in more book-related articles, check out my book section page for reviews, recommendations, details, and discussions.
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